


coffee break

by jaeminim



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, cw: mild sexual assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 20:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20711687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaeminim/pseuds/jaeminim
Summary: If he's being honest, he would call his current situation completely normal yet downright pathetic because he knows he should've started studying earlier, but he hadn't, simply because he didn’t feel like it. So here he was, having a mental breakdown at three in the goddamned afternoon over a biology exam. He orders another coffee.





	coffee break

**Author's Note:**

> yes _another_ markmin. that's just how life is. lmk what you think !

_ Purines this and pyrimidines that,  _ God he wanted to bash his head in while trying and failing to cram all of this biology bullshit into his brain. His patience has worn thin, having spent the better part of his day, his entire morning, crammed into a corner at his local coffee shop, barely within reach of a plug, and not to mention how  _ both  _ his student account balance  _ and  _ energy levels kept on dropping with every passing hour. A diagram open on his laptop sits on the edge of his small table, his notebook perched precariously on his knee, as he  _ finally, hopefully,  _ understands the mess of words written on his coursebook. He flips the page.

Two hours later, Mark is at his wit's end and begins to think of how dramatic and socially acceptable it would be to throw his notes in the air and simply screech, or maybe sigh because he sure as hell does not have the energy to muster anything louder than a choked sob. If he's being honest, he would call his current situation completely normal yet downright pathetic because he  _ knows  _ he should've started studying earlier, but he hadn't, simply because he didn’t feel like it. So here he was, having a mental breakdown at three in the goddamned afternoon over a  _ biology exam _ . He orders another coffee.

Someone keeps on disrupting him, specifically a man with a smile, whose eyes seem to be glinting with malice. He first disrupts Mark to ask him if he's okay because  _ you've been sitting here in that position for quite a while now, it can't be that comfortable _ and he had smiled, waving his hand dismissively before returning to his notes. The respite hadn't lasted long, frustration overcoming him once he realised that the exchange had ruined his barely existent concentration. He sits there in horror as his mind is overcome with images of the stranger and his smooth voice and Mark absolutely cannot believe that he’s  _ this  _ strung up on caffeine to find solace in the imaginary arms of a complete stranger, one that gave off a sinister feeling no less.

He’s disturbed once again when the same man asks him if Mark would be interested in coffee to help him focus, and yet again Mark rejects him with a smile, shaking his head, despite how his mind is screaming at him for caffeine. The rational part of his brain decides that it's best for his head, eyes and  _ wallet _ to simply not have any more coffee for the day. This time he is no fool: he can straight up feel eyes boring a hole into the back of his head, and he does not need to turn around to figure out the culprit — the stranger that offered him coffee, who is also turning out to be a straight-up creep. Mark sighs; he’s really not in the mood or place to cause a scene. He’s almost done with his notes anyway and it would be an absolute shame and ruin his mood to bother with this, so, he returns his attention to the light grey papers in front of him.

Half an hour later realisation dawns on him. The stranger’s eyes have never really left his general area, despite the male seemingly deep in thought about whatever was open on his laptop. With his confidence wavering, Mark turns towards his notes, pulling a stack of flashcards in front of him. He doesn’t order another coffee, his heart’s already beating fast enough, and he doesn't need more coffee to make him feel worse.

Mark doesn’t know why he thought it would be a good idea to stay for longer when it was obvious the man would refuse to leave without his complacency. He finds some solace in the fact that it would be impossible for the man to attempt anything without attracting attention. It’s nearing four in the afternoon and he just wants to go home. He finds himself on the verge of tears, a heavyweight blooming in his chest — and just his luck, the stranger is over him in an instant, and from the outside it may look like he’s trying to comfort Mark but it’s really just Mark trembling out of sheer fear from the heavyweight of the stranger.

As if by a miracle, the stranger retracts his hand and the pressure on Mark’s back is gone, and relief floods him for a split second. There’s a caramel-haired boy that’s standing next to the man, holding his wrist with a backpack balanced over one shoulder and coffee cup grasped carefully in his free hand. His face is pretty and softly angular, and suddenly it clicks because  _ holy shit he knows this guy _ — or rather he’s seen the guy like, once, from when his bratty child Jisung pointed him out in the hall because apparently, he’s an amazing dancer or something like that.

So he’s there, stuck between thanking his lucky stars for someone finally getting himself out of this situation and feeling embarrassed for not being able to handle this on his own.

“Babe?“

His head shoots up, because yeah, no fucking way he’s living out some cliche trope. Jaemin’s eyes glow with a certain kind of mirth, and Mark can’t help but smile. He places the coffee down on the table, trying to avoid the mess of papers and sits across Mark, eyes not leaving the stranger the whole while - he even takes one of Mark’s hands in his, lacing their fingers together before clearing his throat at the stranger.

“You done with being a creep towards my boyfriend yet?“

Oh, oh,  _ Oh _ . He’s absolutely  _ gone _ because  _ what the fuck _ . He softly whines in embarrassment and Jaemin looks at him with those glowing eyes and the only thing he can think of is  _ damn he’s cute _ . The stranger looks back at forth at them, getting stuck at their intertwined hands and begrudgingly leaves, immediately after which Jaemin retracts his hand like he’s been burned and his face flushes pink. He’s looking down as a look of inner turmoil crosses his face, and Mark takes the initiative to tease him, casually reaching over the table to poke Jaemin’s forehead, to which Jaemin reacts by squeaking in shock.

“I’m sorry! Was that okay? I didn’t think it through, really, you just looked so uncomfortable I’m sorry,“

Damn, adorable too. Well, it was settled; Jaemin is now his most favourite person to tease.

He doesn’t mind the next hour, being in the presence of Mr. easy-going Na Jaemin. Honestly, he doesn’t know much about him, just that they go to the same high school, Jaemin is more than decent to look at and how Jaemin’s supposedly great at dancing, so he welcomes the easy conversation that flows between them. Jaemin tells him of his close friends, transfer student Zhong Chenle and fellow senior Lee Donghyuck. Mark once upon a fairytale had harboured a minor crush on the endearing senior - which was as fleeting as a gentle summer breeze. In turn, he tells Jaemin about Renjun, his best friend and possibly the dearest soul on this planet, Jisung, his darling brat of a baby brother, whom at the mention of causes Jaemin’s eyes to flash with recognition, and Jeno, his dearest, darling Jeno.

Their conversation flows into thoughts of their future, and naturally, how many AP classes they were taking,

“I swear to God you’re a masochist for taking AP bio and chem,”

“Speak for yourself Mr AP calc bc,”

They fall into playful banter and Jaemin even helps him revise for his exam tomorrow, blinding him with a smile for every question he gets correct and gently shaking his head for every question answered wrongly. Time flows quickly and before they know it, it’s almost seven in the evening and they have to go home. 

That night Mark Lee goes to bed with Na Jaemin’s phone saved on his phone and actually prepared for his exam tomorrow.

A week passes until he gets the time to fully speak with Jaemin again, past all the polite “hello”s they exchange when passing each other on their respective ways to class. They’re chilling in Renjun and Hyuck’s shared apartment with the duo nowhere to be found, and the silence that hangs over in the air as they both scroll through their social media is comfortable. 

And as every friendship, the two bond. They bond over their love for theatre and Jaemin listens to his endless tirades about colours and film language and everything else regarding current-day visual media and how despite he enjoys art so much, he finds himself most comfortable with biochemistry. In turn, he gets to know more about Jaemin, and how he finds peace in volunteering and how he’d like to become a UNICEF ambassador. 

They make it a habit of Mark bringing him coffee every Sunday while Jaemin’s busy with volunteer work and this Sunday is no exception, as he watches Jaemin interact with a five-year-old kid from behind the door frame, iced coffee in each hand. The kid notices him first, her attention immediately fixated on the familiar newcomer. She waves at him and starts yanking on Jaemin’s sleeve to inform him of Mark’s presence, whom in turn, turns his head and smiles as radiant as ever. Once she sees that Jaemin has acknowledged Mark’s presence Minhye, he recalls, bounds over to him and wraps herself around his legs. After more than a month of accompanying Jaemin on his Saturday volunteering he’s been well acquainted with the kids Jaemin’s always in charge of, coming to love them. So he passes Jaemin both coffees and picks Minhye off the ground, holding her tightly.

Past the warm welcome Minhye doesn’t spare either boy a glance once she hops off of Mark, leaving the two alone as she skips over to one of her friends. Arms suddenly free of a five-year-old, Mark takes back his coffee from Jaemin and sits down on the foam covered daycare floor, watching the children mess around. He spares Jaemin a glance around five minutes later and finds the latter staring at him with a smile and Mark internally curses his heart for skipping a beat. Jaemin’s smiles always made him feel at ease and left his heart fluttering lightly, the feeling akin to going outside into the warm sunshine after a long class in freezing fluorescent lighting. He spends the rest of their time at the daycare flinging plastic balls back into the small ball pit and occasionally shooting them at Jaemin, who’d look affronted with every piece of plastic he was pelted with causing Mark to laugh as Jaemin’s facial features began to distort.

“Do you have any idea how hilarious you look right now,” it’s not a question, but rather a statement, and Jaemin’s face turns sour, a pout on full display,

“No, I don't look hilarious,” he whines, dragging out the words. If there was one thing that was true is that he absolutely did not look hilarious. What was he, a clown? The annoying voice in the back of his head kindly supplies that yes, he’s a clown, yet for completely different reasons, and he silently shushes the voice in his head, that was a problem for another day. Right now his heart was breaking at the implication that he was “hilarious” rather than “charming” or “charismatic”, “You hurt me, Mark Lee.”

“On first-name basis now huh, Na Jaemin?” there’s a teasing lilt to his voice, causing Jaemin’s facade to crack, a smile blooming on his face as well.

“Alright, you caught me. I guess I am hilarious,”

“Nah, it’s just the facial expressions, your jokes are worse than my father’s,”

“Ouch, I’ll be sure to remember the next time you ask me for a favour,” and he earns an eye roll from Mark, in retaliation, he sticks his tongue out at the elder. A blob of red catches his eye and a devious plan formulates in his brain. He and Mark continue chatting and slowly Mark is sucked into the vortex of his phone, forgetting to even let out committal sounds indicating that he’s listening.

Once he’s sure that Mark is fully concentrating on his phone, Jaemin reaches behind him for a plastic ball from the small pile he had amassed during his conversation with Mark and launches the first one he grabs, and Mark violently jerks back, shock written all over his features and Jaemin sends him a devilish grin in return. Realising the situation, Mark lies down flat on his back and lets out a laugh while Jaemin pelts him with plastic balls from a ball pit.

“Stop, stop I’m sorry, okay!” the pelting continues until Jaemin runs out of projectiles and he collapses right next to the mountain a la Mark, his devilish grin still plastered on his face.

“See, I told you I would make you pay,”

“Actually you didn’t but okay,”

“You want another round? I mean, we have all the time in the world to bury you in the ball pit,”

“That’s murder you dumbass. I can’t believe you out of all people take calc bc,” their coffees are long forgotten by this point, left cold.

“Hey, douchebag,” however, Jaemin’s interrupted by another volunteer who had just arrived to take over for the next round of lessons and Mark frowns, it sounded like what Jaemin had to say was important.

He never gets to hear the rest of Jaemin’s sentence, and Mark won’t lie, curiosity was eating him away slowly, but he would respect Jaemin’s wishes if he didn’t want to talk about it. That, and he didn’t know how to bring up the topic without sounding obsessive or weird.

With each passing interaction, the two get closer and soon they’re inseparable; where Jaemin goes, Mark follows, and vice versa. It’s currently early March and with AP exams looming right around the corner, they did what every other senior was doing: studying in the local library. All four of them, Renjun, Jeno, Hyuck, and Jaemin, took over one of the longer desks, with each senior occupying a corner, all their materials piled together in the middle of the desk. Mark is nowhere to be found, something that Jaemin has noticed a pattern in. He would disappear the days leading up to exams, looking like an absolute wreck on the days of said exams and be alright a few days later. When confronted he’d shrug and say that he was not aware of the cycle.

However, all four residents of the table are shocked when another bag is all but thrown haphazardly on top of theirs and the owner of said bag being none other than Mark Lee himself and Jaemin can’t deny that he’s pleasantly surprised to see Mark actually mixing in with society during these troubling times also known as exam season to the common high school student.

“Well if it isn’t our elusive best friend surprisingly out in the open. What happened Mark? Missed my handsome face?”

“You wish,” the teasing tone is there, yet it doesn’t seem right. There’s something off about the complete silence Mark is sitting in, the lack of bouncing of feet, or the twirling of a pen — two actions Jaemin has come to associate with Mark Lee, but Jaemin shrugs it off, because this is the first time Jaemin has seen Mark around during exam season and important exams no less and he doesn't know how the other boy deals with the overbearing stress. The silence continues, and Jaemin actually makes more progress than before; he manages to read the passage he was struggling with and answer a whole multiple choice practice test by the time his energy levels fell, his stomach begging for food, his brain for energy. He remembers reading that the brain is mostly made out of cholesterol and salts in his AP biology course and therefore sets out to get something that fits into the category, and the first thing that comes to mind is the regular chip off the old block, McDonald’s.

“Hey, you guys want fries?” Renjun and Jeno both hum in confirmation however Mark stays silent, absorbed into his work and Jaemin frowns. It doesn’t look like Mark is gonna take a break for food anytime soon and a part of his brain wonders if this is routine for Mark when he would disappear. The thought of Mark not eating leaves a sour taste in his mouth and worry clouds his mind momentarily before he shakes himself off. If this was indeed how Mark survived all exam seasons then he would try his absolute best to make sure that at least this time Mark would be properly fed and hydrated, and off he goes to get fries. He’s lucky that the nearest McDonald’s is only a ten-minute walk from the library, any further and he would lose focus by the time he came back and any closer he’d consistently go back and forth to get coffee, rendering his attempt at studying useless.

Waiting for the fries seems to be the longest five minutes of his life, his brain itching to just go ahead and finish studying for the day so he can relax at home until it was time for dinner. However, a traitorous voice in the back of his whispered that if he left once he was done studying for the day, Mark would be left alone in the library well into the night, if his unmoving stance was anything to go by, and that he would feel guilty if he let Mark waste away preparing for exams like that. 

He knows that Mark is one of the brightest and most hardworking students, the guy would scroll through pdfs of their assignments and books even when he was hanging out with Jaemin, but he never complained, knowing that Mark valued his education and like any good friend Jaemin would respect that, also, it didn’t hurt that Mark never forgot to pay attention to Jaemin as well, his arm always brushing against Jaemin’s and the battle of stepping on each other’s shoes when Mark got exceptionally drawn into his material. Then there were also times when Mark would read out loud his coursework to him, and Jaemin would listen intently, watching how Mark’s eyes seemed to glimmer in an entirely new way when talking about what he loved to do, and he would always wonder if he looked like that when talking about volunteering and making a difference. He asks Mark this, and the reply he gets makes him feel proud. Mark had nodded and told him that it looked like someone had put the stars in his eyes, and if he was this motivated to reach his dream, then nothing would be able to stop him from it.

Grabbing his take away bag once his name was called, he stumbled upon the realisation that truly enjoyed Mark’s company yet the same nefarious voice in his head kept whispering that it was more than just Mark’s company that Jaemin enjoyed. He shook the thought away, for it was one for another time. The walk back seemed to take longer with the bag of piping hot fries in his arms, tempting him to just eat a singular fry, but knowing himself, Jaemin would finish all five fries and the box of nuggets he got for mark, the drinks following suit. Thankfully he managed to get back the library common area without eating a single fry, and by relation, inhaling the contents of the entire bag.

He slides the fries over to their respective owners, Jeno and Renjun immediately reaching out for their food, but Hyuck notices the extra fries and nuggets, arching an eyebrow in question, to which Jaemin shrugs, tilting his head towards his left, where Mark was hunched over, head resting on the desk.

“Hey buddy, I got you some fries and nuggets, if you’d like,” and he doesn’t get a response back. With a sigh, he reaches over and pokes Mark in the shoulder, hard and worry starts to settle when Mark doesn’t move or give any indication that he felt the pressure; instead, he’s still deadly still against the table, unmoving despite the loud commotion around him. Panic begins to rise in his throat before Jeno speaks up,

“He’s passed out cold, must’ve pulled an all-nighter or something.”

“How’s he gonna get home? I mean, I don’t think we can stay here and wait for him to wake up. Do we just take him to the apartment?” Renjun chimes in, referencing the small apartment that Hyuck’s parents owned that had become their hub for movie nights, as to not disturb their families and neighbours. The option seems the most solid and the rest hum in affirmation, directing their attention on their rapidly cooling fries and while the others were digging into their fries while skimming over their course materials, Jaemin was munching on his while staring at Mark and the uncomfortable position he was lying down in; he knew from experience that reflux would be a bitch and a half once he woke up. Just in case, he saves Mark’s nuggets, but his fries are devoured alongside the other ones.

Turns out, packing would be a bitch and a half, with the huge pile of books they had to sort through, along with the spread of papers, making the whole table look like a rudimentary battle plan across terrain. There are books belonging to all five of them, and the owners of the papers are nearly indiscernible, only figured out by the handwriting scribbled on each paper. They all manage to recover around 80% of their own belongings, a remaining mass of paper still on the desk and Jaemin shoves it into his binder once all his books are packed in his backpack.

Jeno carries Mark on his back out of the library, commenting on how Mark was tiny and weighed like a feather and Jaemin grins because Mark is exactly like a slightly big toddler. They get into Renjun’s car, and the ride to the apartment is a short one. Renjun and Hyuck are sitting in the front, leaving Jeno, Jaemin and Mark in the back seat, the latter’s head leaning on Jaemin’s chest, and maybe once or twice Jaemin reaches to play with the ends of Mark’s messy hair, but he’ll never admit to liking the soft feeling associated with Mark’s hair, compared to his strands of pure plastic from getting fried with bleach.

Once at the apartment, their first order of business was to lie Mark down in the bedroom so he would get some decent rest, and Jaemin stayed behind to watch over him. If any of them noticed the oddity of the gesture, they didn’t mention it but he has an inkling that Renjun knew, judging by the smile he had sent Jaemin’s way when leaving the room, dragging Jeno and Huck out of the room with him. From his position on Hyuck’s bed, he can see Mark clearly from head to toe, specifically his face. Jaemin is more interested in his face at the moment. Mark still had the lingering lines of stress and sleeplessness etched on his face, however, the beaten-to-death look had disappeared off of his face, making him look young and boyish, a simple teenager crushed under the weight of societal expectations. However, the peace is short-lived as after half an hour Mark begins to stir, waking up.

“Good morning sleeping beauty,”

“It’s Aurora,” Mark’s sleepy voice has this certain gruffness to it, a sound very pleasing for Jaemin. He enjoys listening to Mark hum along to the music in a cafe, yet he likes his tired voice better.

“Come on, Aurora, let’s get some food in you,” he extends his hand, pulling Mark off the bed once the elder grabs his had and they nearly tumble onto the floor before Jaemin manages to stabilise them both, leaving their faces centimetres apart, neither of them daring to move and risk ruining the moment. If he was fighting off remnants of sleep just a second ago, Mark was surely wide awake now, staring right into Jaemin’s eyes and he can see the younger’s gaze flicker up and down, to his lips and back to his eyes.

“Can I \-- ”

“Please,”

He doesn’t feel fireworks, there is no spark igniting in his heart or whatever fiery sensation that had been described in the movies. Instead, his heart feels light as a feather and a rich feeling blooms in his chest. Kissing Mark felt almost exactly like how he imagined it to be, not that he had imagined it, simply thought about it once or twice at the most random times, soft and delicate. The kiss doesn’t last for very long, as Mark breaks away to stifle a yawn and just like that, the moment is gone and Jaemin chuckles at Mark’s dishevelled state. His lips are red and slightly glossy and his bedhead is a whole different story. Maybe on another day, he would get to kiss Mark senseless and see those gorgeous eyes gloss over with love and breathlessness.

“Come here, your hair is a mess,” and he attempts to brush down some of the hair that’s sticking out on Mark’s head and only slightly succeeds when Mark breaks the slightly tense silence.

“So, what are we?”

“I’m assuming together after that kiss, Mark Lee,”

“Oh, we’re bringing out the full names, huh?”

“Absolutely,”

“Then, Na Jaemin, I don’t think I would mind being your boyfriend,” and he gives Jaemin that dazzling smile, the one that makes him look like a lion cub, and Jaemin’s heart melts all over again. 

“That sounds good to me, Mark,” and somewhere from the other room, a loud yell of triumph and groans of defeat are heard.

“HA! YOU OWE ME FIFTY! I TOLD YOU THEY WOULD GET TOGETHER BEFORE APS,” they both fall in a fit of laughter before Mark smushes his face into Jaemin’s chest, muttering  _ warm _ , Jaemin’s heart long past the point of beating normally.

“See, I told you you’d do great love, all fours and fives,” it’s currently ten in the evening and Jaemin’s cuddled up against Mark on his couch, staring at the numbers on his phone with disbelief coating his features, Mark rubbing tiny circles onto his side, attempting to ease the shock he can feel emanating from his boyfriend. “I’m super proud of you Jaeminnie.”

The phone drops from his hands and Jaemin looks up to gaze right into Mark’s eyes, his own beginning to tear up from the culmination of stress and anxiety, catalysed by the love that Mark looks at him, the absolute look of adoration and care that was reserved only for him. With a chuckle of disbelief, he wraps an arm around Mark’s neck and pulls him in for a kiss and for a split second Mark loses his balance but manages to straighten himself before he toppled over and in turn brought Jaemin down with him; Jaemin mercifully parts the kiss, allowing Mark to reposition himself so that his back was flat against the back of the couch and once all was well again, he wraps his other arm around Mark’s neck, burying it in his hair, and reconnecting their lips, now straddling Mark.

They’ve been dating for two months now and kissing Mark still felt the same way it did since the first day, right, and honestly speaking, Jaemin could kiss him till the end of time if it was biologically possible. Mark’s hands slowly start to sneak up his back and Jaemin can’t help the involuntary shudder that runs up his spine from the feeling of being tickled and Mark chuckles breathlessly into their kiss but makes no move to stop, even going further and placing one of his hands in Jaemin’s hair and pulling him impossibly closer while one of Jaemin’s holds onto the side of his face.

With the original adrenaline rush fading the kiss slowly turns to a slow and passionate series of kisses, and they’re both breathless by the time Jaemin presses their foreheads together, letting a soft laugh slip from his lips.

“I love you.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> so that was a wild ride ! this was originally meant to be my dreamies fic fest submission but then became a secret santa trial run submission for a friend and now it's finally up! 
> 
> [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/nanashyuckie) || [twitter](https://twitter.com/lilacjaem)


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